Security guard at Sonoma charged with assaulting racer in wheelchair at NASCAR race

A security guard is facing assault and battery charges following an encounter with a racer, who uses a wheelchair, during Sunday’s NASCAR race at Sonoma, according to The Press Democrat. The confrontation occurred with both the racer and his wife.

In a now-deleted post on Facebook, the racer was identified as Chase Johnson, per The Press Democrat. A sprint car driver, he was paralyzed in a crash in 2024. The security guard – identified as Alexander Rosiles – stopped Johnson and his wife, Hayley, even though they had valid passes.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said Rosiles pushed Johnson, which caused his wheelchair to tip over. He then lost consciousness and sustained injuries as a result.

Rosiles was arrested at approx. 3 p.m. local time following the incident. He was charged with assault and battery, and briefly appeared before Sonoma County Superior Court Tuesday. He has a plea date set for Aug. 12, according to The Press Democrat, and is in custody on a $35,000 bail.

LASTCAR’s Brock Beard said the incident occurred near where he was while he was covering Sunday’s race. He recapped what he saw in a post on X.

“This incident happened directly in front of me during my coverage on Sunday,” Beard wrote. “Track medical staff and those at the nearby Mobility Pit Box were there quickly. I didn’t mention this publicly before now as I didn’t want to impede the investigation or inject myself unnecessarily.

“I certainly wish the best to Chase on his recovery, and to his family as they deal with this. It was an awful thing to witness and I’m glad law enforcement is handling it.”

Johnson, 28, is a Penngrove, Calif. native. A fourth-generation racer, he’s a six-time Outlaw Kart champion and a 360 Winged Sprint Car champion over the course of his career. All told, he has more than 300 main event victories and seven championships to his name.

In August 2024, Chase Johnson suffered multiple vertebrae fractures in a crash during the Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway. He lost control on the 13th lap and had to be extracted from the car, according to FloRacing. In a video posted on TikTok at the time, he said he had surgeries to repair fractures to five vertebrae.

Last year, Johnson had 20 starts in 410 Sprint Car action. His lone victory came July 27 at Santa Maria Speedway on NARC’s King of the West Racing Series.